CS/CS/SB 1334: Elections

Compared Bill CS/CS/HB 991: Election Integrity

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​The Senate and House bills are not identical which will create issues related to passage.

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Since 2020, when Trump lost reelection in a contest he continues to portray without evidence as rigged and tainted by immigrant voting, Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature has approved a flurry of changes including reducing drop box numbers and access, increasing ID regulations, restricting how many other ballots a person can mail in or drop off besides their own, requiring voters to request absentee or vote-by-mail ballots twice as often as before, and drastically increasing requirements and penalties for third-party voter registration groups, making them ineffective.

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According to the bill, the following documents would be needed to register to vote, or to make changes to your registration such as your address or party:

• An original or certified copy of a United States birth certificate

• A valid, unexpired United States passport

• A naturalization certificate issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security

• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad provided by the United States Department of State

• A current and valid Florida driver license or Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, if such driver license or identification card indicates United States citizenship

• A current and valid photo identification issued by the Federal Government or the state which indicates United States citizenship

• An order from a federal court granting United States citizenship

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What can you do to make sure you'll be able to vote in Florida?

There are some steps you can take to make sure any effects on your ability to vote will be minimal.

• Register to vote now. Before the stricter measures are put into place, get your registration in. You'll still need citizenship documentation later if the bills pass and you need to change your registration down the road, but right now you'll just need a Florida driver license or state ID and the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

• Check your voter status. Already registered? Make sure you can still vote. Florida regularly and aggressively purges its voter rolls and you may no longer be in there. Check now so you can address it early and not while standing in line at the polls.

• Get your paperwork together. Start pulling together whatever paperwork you'll need to prove your citizenship status. Note that to get a Florida driver license or ID the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles states that only a birth certificate issued by a county health department or the CDC Bureau of Vital Statistics will be accepted. Hospital birth certificates are not considered a certified document and will not be accepted.

• Make sure your identification matches. If the name on your photo ID doesn't match your birth certificate due to marriage, gender identity, different versions of your name (common with Latina or Latino names) or other legal change, start getting that documentation as well.

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HB 561 Educator Preparation and Certification

This bill unanimously passed its final committee Tuesday, Feb. 10 and has been referred to the House Calendar.  This bill will make it easier for folk whose certification has lapsed to recertify 

 

SB 176 Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures

This bill put safety policies into place for higher education without allowing firearms on campus 

 

SB 1216 Public School Personnel Compensation

This bill removes many of the statutory restrictions on pay increases that have exacerbated salary compression 

 

HB 757 School Safety

Passed its final committee Feb. 10 and has been referred to the House Calendar.  This bill would allow guns on College and University campuses. The Senate companion SB 896 School Safety had its first committee stop on Feb. 11, there are two more committee stops of the Appropriations Committee on Higher Education and Rules.

 

HB 1471 Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations

Has a last stop in the Judiciary Committee.

This is a blatantly unconstitutional bill that would impact college and university students as well as Islamic voucher schools.  There is a linked bill in the House and two comparable bills in the Senate.

 

SB 7036 Education

This bill is a DOE wish list of policies.  This bill unanimously passed its final committee on Feb.12. Among other things this bill would allow FLDOE to publish instructional materials and textbooks. It also undermines collectivized bargaining. The House companion HB 1071 Education passed the Education and Employment Committee Feb. 10. The House version allows the FLDOE to unilaterally remove instructional materials but does not allow FLDOE to publish its own materials. 

 

SB 538 Extracurricular Activities

The coaches bill passed its third and final committee today on a unanimous vote. This is the bill that allows school boards the “sole discretion” to determine the compensation any “activity sponsor of an extracurricular activity” .  This bill is not union friendly.

 

HB 1119 Materials Harmful to Minors

Companion, SB 1692: Materials Harmful to Minors

This bill was heard on the House Floor, there were several failed amendments but passed with a vote of 84 yeas and 28 nays.  It has been referred to the Rules Committee.  Its companion, SB 1692: Materials Harmful to Minors has not been heard in any of the 3 committees it was referred to.

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HB 31 Recognizing Judea and Samaria

Companion SB 1106: Recognizing Judea and Samaria

This bill was heard on the House Floor, there were several failed amendments but passed with a vote of 92 yeas and 14 nays.  It has been referred to the Rules Committee and is in messages to the Senate.  Its companion SB 1106: Recognizing Judea and Samaria is on its last committee stop of Rules.

 

CS/SB 1296: Public Employees Relations Commission

Bill added to Special Order Calendar for 3/11/2026. The bill analysis contains multiple pages detailing the various ways this bill is unconstitutional. 

 

For example, the commission recently decided that employees rather than the employee organization or public employer reimbursing the commission must pay for their stamp to cast their mail ballot.  This ultimately implements a cost to employees who want to vote to elect or retain a bargaining agent and imposes no cost to employees who do not want to elect or retain a bargaining agent because failure to return a ballot has the same effect as voting ‘no’ in an election that is based on the total membership of the unit. This change could dilute the effect of an employee’s union membership by preventing him or her from counting as a union member among the employees that are recognized in an election unless the employee chooses to pay for the stamp to cast a ballot and be counted. 

 

The bill analysis contains multiple pages detailing the various ways this bill is unconstitutional. For example, the bill appears to create two distinct classes of public employees. These groups experience differently their right to associate freely and collectively bargain.  By virtue of the higher threshold to certify and decertify an employee organization and thus be a member of a union, and to freedom of speech to speak on behalf of the union to seek certification as a bargaining agent and similar union activities.  By virtue of the limit on use of time off without pay or benefits for the use of employee organizational activities for one group but not the other. The bill essentially ends “release time” as we know it. This provision, of course, does not apply to “public safety unions.” 

 

The bill requires the teacher salary increase allocation to be negotiated by the end of July. If no agreement is reached by then, there must be an expedited impasse procedure. If a union does not have 60% membership density, they must annually hold an election to re-certify. Currently, prevailing in this election requires 50%+1 YES votes of all those who voted. This bill would change the requirement to be 50%+1 YES votes of all those who are eligible to vote. For example, a union that has 1,000 members in its bargaining unit would need 501 votes to recertify.

 

​SB 320 Administrative Efficiency in Public Schools 

Companion: HB 963 

Administrative Efficiency in Public Schools

Supports teacher retention; the Senate version has been sent to the House in Messages.

Good for students, educators and school communities. This bill fulfills several of FEA’s legislative priorities by removing burdensome regulations that keep teachers from receiving fair raises and re-establishing multi-year contracts, and providing flexibility in funding. 

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CS/SB 318: Educational Scholarship Programs 

Companion: None currently

Voucher funding accountability

Necessary, but not sufficient to address the myriad issues with the voucher program  This bill puts much needed restrictions on voucher funding in an attempt to reduce the waste, fraud and abuse that currently plagues Florida’s voucher program as outlined in this report from Florida’s Auditor General but does not address the fundamental issues related to vouchers defunding public education and the lack of academic accountability for voucher schools.

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SB 424: Educational Facilities

Companion HB 6023: Educational Facilities

Neither bill has been heard.  DPECF is asking members to take action to encourage the committees to hear these good bills.​  Good for students, educators, and school communities, This bill repeals an unfunded mandate and restores local control by eliminating the provisions that allow Schools of Hope to claim “vacant space” in public schools and takeover that space and use school district resources at no cost.

 

HB 147: Oaths of Classroom Teachers

Companion: SB 430: Oaths of School Personnel

Loyalty oaths for teachers; neither bill has been heard in committee.   This bill requires a loyalty oath to “the Government of the State of Florida.” In a free society, nobody should be forced to pledge their loyalty to a government as a condition of employment.  Oppose this bill

 

Senate version:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and the Constitution and Government of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified as a person employed in an administrative or instructional capacity in this state; that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of a person employed in an administrative or instructional capacity in a professional, independent, objective, and nonpartisan manner; that I will uphold the highest standards of  academic integrity and professional ethics; that I will foster a respectful learning environment for all students which promotes critical thinking, civic  responsibility, and lifelong learning; and that I will serve as a positive role model in both conduct and character, so help me God. 

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House version:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the 18 Constitution and Government of the United States and the Constitution and Government of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified for employment as a classroom teacher in this state; that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of a classroom teacher in a professional, independent, objective, and nonpartisan manner; that I will uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and professional ethics; that I will foster a respectful learning environment for all students, which promotes critical thinking, civic responsibility, and lifelong learning; and that I will serve as a positive role model in both conduct and character, so help me God."

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HB 77: Public Postsecondary Safety Policies and Procedures

Companion: CS/SB 176: Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures

Safety for higher education faculty and staff  Good for higher education faculty, staff, and students. This bill requires Florida’s colleges and universities to adopt policies related to ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff.

 

HB 345: Funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program

Companion: SB 512

Funding for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.  Voluntary Prekindergarten Funding-Good for parents, families, and communities, This bill increases financial support for VPK by requiring funding increase to keep pace with inflation.

 

HB 471: Recruitment and Retention of Speech-language Pathologists

Companion: SB 574: Recruitment and Retention of Speech-language Pathologists

Recruitment and Retention of Speech-language Pathologists- Good for students and educators

This bill requires the Florida Department of Education to develop a strategic plan related to the recruitment and retention of SLPs.

 

CS/SB 824: Inventory of Unimproved Real Property Owned by School Districts

Companion CS/HB 1147: School District Unimproved Real Property

Read Florida Politics Article

If School Districts are required to report all their empty land to the Florida Department of Education it could bring unintended consequences.  Districts often build their land bank as it projects future enrollment needs.  This is the most fiscally responsible way.  Districts can  procure land to ensure they have it at the time that we need it because if we went the eminent domain route, it’s a far more expensive method to procure land in the state of Florida. Unlike the federal government when you procure land through eminent domain in Florida, we have to pay fair market value. 

Could this be the next chapter in the Schools of Hope saga?